Police swarmed the north side of campus late Friday afternoon after a report of an armed person in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
There was no confirmation of any threat or suspect found, but the resulting chaos included more than a dozen police cars, road closures, a SWAT callout and the accidental firing of an officer’s gun.
Dan Tracy, a graduate assistant in sports administration, said he was in his office on the third floor of the Health and Physical Activity Building when he heard yelling at about 4:30 p.m.
“I just heard the male voice say ‘gun’ at the top of his lungs,” he said.
Tracy said the voice sounded like it came from a stairway down the hall and sounded panicked, shouting multiple times.
He locked himself in his office with the lights off and texted his family to let them know he was OK.
About 10 minutes later, Tracy heard the man’s voice shout “gun” again.
“My heart was beating about as hard as it [has] ever,” Tracy said.
Tony Proudfoot, a university spokesperson, said multiple witnesses heard the shout.
He said it took the university about four minutes to issue an alert from when it received word from the University Police Department. UPD called in other agencies from there.
“We had university police, Muncie police, sheriff’s department, state police, Homeland Security all on site, so there were a lot of units on scene,” Proudfoot said.
Tracy said he was locked in his office for about an hour, waiting while he heard people shuffling outside and doors opening and closing until police found him.
They ushered him into a larger office with a group of other people, and three officers guided them all out of the building.
Police searched students and checked their coats and bags, after they escorted the students from the building over to the parking lot next to the Architecture Building.
Campus and police secured residence halls, the Lewellen Aquatic Center, the Health and Physical Activity Building, Worthen Arena and the rec center. Police also told students to avoid the area until it was cleared.
Maggie Byrnes, a freshman elementary education major, was evacuated to the upstairs track while police searched the building, then moved to the parking lot.
“They said, ‘Do you guys not f—king understand this, get out of the f—king building,’” Byrnes said. “They told us we need to get out of the building, so we’re just following orders.”
Police tape closed off the intersection of Neely and McKinley avenues. Officers would say little, but were on guard immediately when one officer’s gun went off by accident, startling everyone when it fired a round into the ground.
As a precaution, police asked evacuated students to put their arms in the air — pointing a gun at one student briefly.
The students were later released and police conducted a second, more thourough search of the sports and recreation complex before clearing the area.
“It was really scary,” Byrnes said. “I’m still shaking.”
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